The Fox and The Crow
by Martel Baptiste Crow
Summary: If Naruto had known that Itachi putting a crow in his body would lead to this, he would have chucked a ramen bowl at his head. Then he would have cried. Then he would have laughed. Then, together, they would change the fate of their most precious people.
1. 1 - Him and His Dumb Crow

At first, he'd thought he was dreaming.

Like in most of his dreams, the setting was Konoha. He was walking through her streets, slowly, taking in the clear sky and the scent of greenery and peace that rolled on the wind. The civilians were loud and boisterous, having not a care in the world since there was no threat. Children in the Academy could be heard claiming they'd be the best shinobi to have ever lived.

However, his dreams had adapted over the years; he knew exactly what Konoha looked like. As new stalls were built in the marketplace, so they would appear in his dreams. If old buildings were demolished, they would be demolished in his dreams. He did not reside in Konoha anymore, but he kept tabs on his beloved village – he_ knew_ his true home.

So, when he glanced at the Hokage mountain after he'd gotten up for the stroll in the streets his dreams based in Konoha mainly consisted of, he was a bit surprised to see only four faces staring out over the village.

That was odd, but could be overlooked.

What couldn't be overlooked, however, was the little blond boy in orange that bowled him over.

Even more odd was the way he fell to the ground, completely unprepared for the boy's weight. He may have been sick, but he was strong enough to manage the weight of a little...

Uchiha Itachi blinked.

People did not have chakra in dreams. Dreams were manifestations of the mind – the only thing that was real was the person that was dreaming. Another person's chakra couldn't possibly be sensed in a dream.

In fact, so many other chakra signatures shouldn't be able to be sensed in a -

"What did you and your dumb crow do?! I'm_ little_!"

* * *

A/N: This has been stuck in my head for the longest time. Uchiha Itachi is like... the epitome of sob stories. The only one who comes in second is Severus Snape (in my opinion, anyway...).

Right, so, as you can guess: this stars Itachi and our favorite blond shinobi, Naruto.

Where is this heading? I have no clue. =)


	2. 2 - Way More Reason

It took a while for him to calm down, but when he did, Naruto was extremely tired. Being angry was a lot of work – well, angry with the intent to kill, anyway. When he'd woken up and seen his miniature form in the mirror, the Kyuubi-container had been extremely less than happy.

"That's what you call this? 'Oversight' my foot! We're little! Well, I'm little and pathetic – when you were this size you were way more awesome than I was at this size so I totally have way more reason to be furious and angry - !"

"Hush, Naruto-kun," Itachi murmured as he calmly sipped his tea. After picking themselves off the ground, the now young Uchiha heir had suggested they move their conversation to a more private place. Certain things weren't...prudent to discuss in the streets of Konoha. So after making sure the apartment was as secure as possible, they had tried to discuss what could have happened.

"Hush?! Don't tell me to hush!"

Or, in Naruto's case, rant and rave.

"Naruto-kun, please," Itachi stressed, looking at the much smaller boy with a slightly strained expression. When the blond calmed down, the dark-haired Uchiha pinched the bridge of nose. "My family is alive."

Naruto watched his expression become bewildered and slightly disbelieving before he snorted, crossed his arms and glared balefully at the wall. "Of course you would get a second chance – you're an Uchiha. This _would_ happen."

Itachi ignored the sarcastic words of the boy beside him, knowing they lacked any real heat. His family was still alive and a quick glance down at his arm proved that he hadn't entered ANBU yet. His clan...his parents..._Shisui_ – _**Sasuke**_ - !

He touched his face.

He was crying.

Immediately, Naruto clammed up and looked away.

* * *

A/N: I like to think that Uchiha Itachi is extreme in how he cares. I mean he IS a pacifist at heart. :)


End file.
